In Kansas, the state mental health authority is the Behavioral Health Services Commission at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), which works with the state's community mental health centers. Kansas 988 contact centers get extra state funding and oversight from KDADS and the 988 Coordinating Council, and families of anyone 20 or younger can call or text the Family Mobile Crisis Helpline at 1-833-441-2240 at any hour. NAMI Kansas runs free support groups and classes and a local resource helpline at 1-785-214-4496.
Every Kansas county is served by a community mental health center, and Kansas law makes those centers the front door to the state's public mental health system. If you're not in crisis but want to talk, a peer warmline based in Kansas City, Kansas answers every day.
Kansas is a big, mostly rural state, and the University of Kansas reports that 99 of its 105 counties are designated mental health professional shortage areas. Specialty psychiatric care is concentrated around Kansas City, where the KU Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences sees patients with The University of Kansas Health System, and in Wichita, which KU School of Medicine-Wichita describes as a regional health care center drawing patients from across Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Outside those cities, your local community mental health center is usually the place to start, and the state says these centers provide outpatient care, case management, peer support, and rehabilitation services. KDADS sets standards for mobile crisis teams that come to you at home, work, or school, 24 hours a day. Farm and ranch families can find stress, financial, and legal help through KansasAgStress.org.
Crisis lines
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anywhere in the United States, including from Kansas. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day. For chat, visit 988lifeline.org.
- Kansas 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (KDADS). The state's 988 page explains how Kansas contact centers answer 988 calls, texts, and chats. It also links to the yearly reports of the Kansas 988 Coordinating Council.
- Family Mobile Crisis Helpline (Kansas DCF). Call or text 1-833-441-2240 for help with a mental health crisis for any Kansan 20 or younger, 24 hours a day. A licensed clinician answers and can send a local mobile crisis team to you, and interpreters are free.
- United Way 211 Kansas. Dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 898-211 to reach a referral specialist, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also search the statewide database at 211Kansas.org at any time.
- Compassionate Ear Warmline (Mental Health America of the Heartland). A free, nonemergency line answered by trained peers who live with their own mental health conditions. Call 913-281-2251 or 1-866-927-6327, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, including holidays.
- KansasAgStress.org. A hub for Kansas farmers, ranchers, and their families with help for stress, mental health, and financial and legal problems, including a list of providers with farm backgrounds. The site lists a free regional hotline at 1-800-447-1985, answered 24 hours a day.
Crisis care and mobile crisis
- Mobile Crisis Response and Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (KDADS). KDADS sets the standards for mobile crisis teams that meet adults, children, and families in person at home, work, school, or elsewhere in the community. Services are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
State mental health authority
- KDADS Behavioral Health Services Commission. The state mental health authority and the single state authority for substance use. It oversees community mental health centers, certified community behavioral health clinics, crisis stabilization centers, and suicide prevention.
- KanCare (Kansas Medicaid). KanCare is the health coverage program for eligible Kansans. To update your contact information or ask about coverage, call 1-800-792-4884.
NAMI Kansas
- NAMI Kansas. The state NAMI organization, based in Topeka, with local affiliates around Kansas. It offers support groups, free classes such as Family-to-Family, and a calendar of meetings in person and on Zoom. Office: 785-233-0755.
- NAMI Kansas support groups and helpline. NAMI Connection groups for adults with mental health symptoms and Family Support Groups for their loved ones are free and confidential, with no registration needed. For help finding local resources, call the NAMI Kansas Helpline at 1-785-214-4496.
Community mental health centers
- Community Mental Health Centers (KDADS). Explains what Kansas community mental health centers do, including outpatient care, case management, and peer support. For questions or concerns about a center, call the KDADS Behavioral Health Central Office at 785-296-3471.
- Community Mental Health Center directory and map (ACMHCK). The Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas publishes a downloadable directory and an interactive map of center locations. Use it to find the center that serves your county.
- Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (KDADS). Kansas certified community behavioral health clinics offer mental health and substance use care together. The state says they serve people regardless of ability to pay or where they live.
Treatment locators
- FindTreatment.gov. The federal SAMHSA locator for mental health and substance use treatment. Search by ZIP code and filter by payment type.
- KDADS Behavioral Health Services and Programs directories. This page links to the state's Mental Health Resources Directory, which lists community mental health centers, consumer run organizations, state hospitals, and private psychiatric hospitals. It also has lists of substance use disorder programs.
University and academic medical centers
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. KU psychiatrists and psychologists see children, teens, and adults at The University of Kansas Health System in the Kansas City area, with telehealth available. To make an appointment, call (913) 588-1300.
- KU Psychiatry Residency. The psychiatry residency program at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
- KU School of Medicine-Wichita, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The Wichita campus trains psychiatrists and psychologists and sees patients in community mental health centers, inpatient units, and outpatient clinics. Department phone: 316-293-2669.
Other state programs
- KSKidsMAP. A partnership of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and KU School of Medicine-Wichita that gives primary care clinicians free consultation on children's anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other concerns. Your child's doctor can ask about enrolling by calling 1-800-332-6262.